Phantasm
[fan-taz-uh m] /ˈfæn tæz əm/
noun
1.
an apparition or specter.
2.
a creation of the imagination or fancy; fantasy.
3.
a mental image or representation of a real object.
4.
an illusory likeness of something.
/ˈfæntæzəm/
noun
1.
a phantom
2.
an illusory perception of an object, person, etc
3.
(in the philosophy of Plato) objective reality as distorted by perception
n.
early 13c., fantesme, from Old French fantosme “a dream, illusion, fantasy; apparition, ghost, phantom” (12c.), and directly from Latin phantasma “an apparition, specter,” from Greek phantasma “image, phantom, apparition; mere image, unreality,” from phantazein “to make visible, display,” from stem of phainein “to bring to light, make appear; come to light, be seen, appear; explain, expound, inform against; appear to be so,” from PIE root *bha- (1) “to shine” (cf. Sanskrit bhati “shines, glitters,” Old Irish ban “white, light, ray of light”). Spelling conformed to Latin from 16c. (see ph). A spelling variant of phantom, “differentiated, but so that the differences are elusive” [Fowler].
phantasm phan·tasm (fān’tāz’əm)
n.
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[fan-taz-muh-gawr-ik, -gor-] /fænˌtæz məˈgɔr ɪk, -ˈgɒr-/ adjective 1. having a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination. 2. having the appearance of an optical illusion, especially one produced by a magic lantern. 3. changing or shifting, as a scene made up of many elements.
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[fan-taz-muh-gawr-ik, -gor-] /fænˌtæz məˈgɔr ɪk, -ˈgɒr-/ adjective 1. having a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination. 2. having the appearance of an optical illusion, especially one produced by a magic lantern. 3. changing or shifting, as a scene made up of many elements.